CORAL GABLES – The Hurricanes have five tight ends listed on their depth chart heading into their second scrimmage Saturday. Unlike the other positions, this one simply is listed alphabetically.

At the top is Blake Ayles, who if all goes well, will have a senior season this fall that will help an offense expected to mostly use a two-tight end system.

The transfer from Southern California, who because of NCAA sanctions against USC is eligible to play immediately, has made a smooth transition this spring.

“I’m really pleased with his development and how quickly he’s picked up the offense,” Coach Al Golden said of Ayles, who didn’t have a catch in the first scrimmage. “You can tell he’s a veteran. He’s doing a good job for us, being a leader as well.”

The 6-foot-5, 265-pound Ayles has the potential to be a factor as the ‘Canes will look to throw to the tight end more than they did under former offensive coordinator Mark Whipple.

Ayles was highly touted coming out of high school, but didn’t have an impact at USC, where he underwent back-to-back knee surgeries in 2008 and 2009. In the three seasons he played, Ayles had 14 catches for 182 yards and one touchdown.

Ayles said he considered staying at USC for his senior year, but didn’t mesh with new head coach Lane Kiffin, who replaced Pete Carroll when Carroll left to coach the Seahawks.

“I just really couldn’t build a good relationship with [Kiffin],” Ayles said. “I just wasn’t getting along with him and he was playing a little too many games that I wasn’t looking forward to going into the season.”

Before he picked Miami, Ayles says he called up a couple of his teammates from the Under Armour All-America Game in high school.

The two — UM linebacker Sean Spence and safety Vaughn Telemaque — helped him make up his mind.

Ayles contacted Brennan Carroll, his tight ends coach at USC who had been hired at UM in December, by Facebook. Soon, the Hurricanes had themselves another tight end.

“It’s nice because I can learn from Chase [Ford] and he can learn from me,” said Ayles. Ford and Asante Cleveland, who has sat out this spring because of an arm injury, combined for 15 catches for 206 yards and one touchdown last season.

“And we’ve got some young guys that are stepping up,” Ayles continued. “It’s nice to have six, seven guys you can rotate, instead two guys at SC, where we were just dying.”

Ayles says he expects a productive season from himself.

Of course, that will depend on whether he achieves a simpler goal: “I’m trying to make it through a full season.”

Comments (12 Comments)

the scrimmage was the second i attended and the tempo was 100 per cent faster than the one at spanish river,and beleive me it was very hot.The good news is we kept bringing body after body, when ohio state gets here in sept, it will be 100 on the field and depth and andrews summer conditioning will be the difference.With this massive off line and these 3 backs we should get back to u football, by that i mean telling the opposition we are going to run all day and then do it.

Nice to hear that about the game tempo. Since you were there, why were there so many sacks and tackles for loss? Did the O-line basically get beat or did they have trouble picking up blitzes, or were qb’s holding the ball too long? I was surprised the defense picked it up so much so I’m just wondering how they did it, and what unit on offense is to blame. Also, how did the RB’s look? It sounds like they took some harder hits than last week.

Also ask Laron Byrd what it’s like to play on secondary high school fields when other NCAA teams are packing 45-75 k for their scrimmage, have jets flying over, and it’s on TV. It’s 2011 – the scrimmage can”t be on sun network.???
We have won 5 NCs in the past 30 years and we can’t get our high school stadium tour on TV? WTF???

Also like to add for the 45+ yr old gomers who comment…I am a current STUDENT who will graduate next year and am a legacy student as my pops graduated here first. You fair weather fans make UM look like joke…hence my ridicule.

Miramar, they all think I have some deep seated hate for UM. Completely incorrect. It’s more like I have an insatiable appetite to point out the FANS ignorance, hypocrisy, folly, and generally delusional predictions and pontifications about a program that has been stripped to the bone.

Great job sneaking a comment in at OGGOA this morning “Dave.” Reads like the typical seedy bunk you throw up ….Dave. And although you read that blog more than you {\__/} read this one, you can’t comment there. Spend less time trying to get every person on the internet banned and spend more time thinking about your sloppy comments that are burdened by your unhealthy tendency to believe that 5 makes everything better and perfect.

Yes I have indeed driven the Fake Curse aka Fake Miramar over the proverbial wall, or off the precipice, or out of his mind. Steve, it is now having conversations with itself and a new imaginary nemesis named “Dave.” For the love of God, can’t you pull the plug out of mercy? This is becoming sad, like watching a homeless person soil himself.

Curse message itself was confusing. Let’s try to follow it to it’s logical conclusion.
1. He claims “Dave” changed his name.
2. He is upset with “Dave” for posting on that website.
3. He says that “Dave” can’t post on that website.
4. He then brings the anger over to here.

So, either #2 or #3 is false, and #4 is therefore unwarranted.

I wonder what horrible thing “Dave” said to set him off. Considering what has been posted on here, it must have been really offensive. Civilly, I suggest that perhaps the FBI should look into it.